Another Big Stunt Over Gun Control is Headed to Congress

As California Gov. Jerry Brown signed six new gun control measures into law, including a new requirement for background checks for ammunition purchasers, the Congressional Black Caucus is planning to take over the House chamber when representatives return from the Fourth of July break to demand what it is calling “day of action on the floor in regards to gun violence.”

The CBC sent a memo to its members instructing them to “be as disruptive to Speaker Ryan as possible next week” as part of a coordinated move to push for increased restrictions on the possession, purchase, and use of firearms.

The move comes in the first sessions after Democrat Congressmen staged a protest by literally sitting on the floor of the House of Representatives after their demands to vote for measures that had already been defeated in the Senate were not brought up for a vote.

Majority leaders in the House saw the move as political theater designed to give the representatives a chance to gain cheap publicity as they return to the campaign trail during this election season.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) has announced that a vote on the GOP-sponsored so-called “No Fly, No Buy” bill will be held during the week.

The bill would coordinate information between the Department of Homeland Security, which bars persons with ties to terrorism from air travel within the United States, and the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System that conducts background checks for gun purchases.

Members of the Black Caucus are urged to “be present” at the House Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon as the schedule for the next day’s business is set.

The memo read, in part: “During Votes – Members are encouraged to have a picture (not poster board, but a printed piece of paper with an image of a constituent killed by a firearm).”

Rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have expressed concerns that the “No Fly” list violates due process for Americans who may be placed on the secret list without their knowledge and without the opportunity to challenge their status.

Previous errors by the Department of Homeland Security resulted in the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), and an 18-month old toddler being placed on the “No Fly” list.